In the Hall of Supreme Mystery, Peng Tianyuan held the Military Talisman in his hand, his mind still somewhat dazed.
To this day, he still found it hard to believe everything before his eyes.
He was originally just a low-ranking general of the former Great Wu Dynasty, but because he offended powerful figures, he was demoted and had his salary cut. In a fit of anger, he resigned and retired.
Not long ago, he learned that the Great Wu Dynasty had been overthrown, replaced by the newly established Da Fei Dynasty.
Since childhood, Peng Tianyuan had harbored the dream of galloping on battlefields and becoming a renowned general.
Facing the new regime that had overthrown the previous Dynasty, he did not hesitate at all and resolutely decided to pledge his allegiance.
He even prepared himself mentally to start from the lowest rank of soldier.
However, upon his arrival in the capital, he was directly introduced to the Prime Minister.
After just a few questions about military strategy, coupled with a few remarks about practical combat experience, he was exceptionally promoted to Grand Marshal.
His dream had come true so easily, which always left him with doubts.
What made him even more uneasy was that he had not been able to meet the Emperor these past few days.
Yet, rumors outside were constant, with rebel armies rising in various places, and quite a few declaring themselves kings.
After much deliberation, he voluntarily requested to lead an expedition to the Prime Minister.
Unexpectedly, he proposed the idea in the morning, and by noon, he already held the authority to command an army of a million.
He even once suspected he was still dreaming and couldn't help but slap himself several times.
The swelling and pain in his cheeks, however, convinced him that everything before him was real and not false.
Now, he stood outside the hall, looking at the dense, tide-like crowd—his million-strong army.
This was not a dream, but a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"This humble general will not fail Your Majesty's trust!"
He heavily kowtowed towards the palace, his forehead leaving bloodstains on the hard bluestone slab.
Three days later, the army officially set out.
The vast army, like dark clouds pressing down, left nothing but desolation in its wake.
Peng Tianyuan was a brilliant strategist, and he also adopted the Da Fei Dynasty's "Blitzkrieg" combat strategy. In just one month, he annihilated three rebel forces.
However, what was even more terrifying was that this army was strictly executing the Emperor's edict to "level the Martial Forest."
Whether it was a renowned orthodox School or a Sect hidden deep in the mountains, as long as there was the slightest intention of resistance, they would face utter destruction. At best, their entire family would be wiped out; at worst, cities would be burned, with no one spared.
"Report—the Qingcheng School, a total of three hundred and twenty people, have all been annihilated. Fifty-three Wuxia Secret Manuals have been seized!"
"Report—the Emei School refused to hand over their Mind-Cultivation Technique and has been completely burned down, with no survivors!"
"Report—five Innate Realm masters of Shaolin Temple were surrounded and killed, eventually self-destructing, and their Secret Manuals were also destroyed in the process..."
"Report—the Innate Sect..."
"Report..."
"Report—"
Battle reports flew into Chang'an like snowflakes, but Yun Fei was already numb to such numbers.
What he truly cared about were the Wuxia classics continuously sent into the imperial palace.
More importantly, in this pacification of the Martial Forest, he obtained five Vermillion Fruits.
In addition, there were ten Small Rejuvenation Pills treasured by Shaolin Temple, and one extremely rare Great Rejuvenation Pill.
This was the most important harvest of his journey.
The efficacy of the Vermillion Fruit needed no explanation; he had previously consumed one that had already deteriorated and had transformed from an unknown nobody into a third-rate Martial Artist.
Now with five intact ones, he believed they could at least help him reach the first-rate Realm.
Not to mention the legendary Great Rejuvenation Pill.
One Small Rejuvenation Pill could equal five years of arduous Cultivation, while the Great Rejuvenation Pill was even more astonishing—one pill surpassed sixty years of hard practice.
Ten Small Rejuvenation Pills plus one Great Rejuvenation Pill, combined with five Vermillion Fruits, if all were absorbed, might just push him to the Innate Realm.
As for those Secret Manuals, he casually flipped through them and found about sixteen of Innate-Grade.
However, most of them were obscure and difficult to understand, and he felt a headache just glancing at them.
But as he carelessly flipped through, he unexpectedly discovered a very special Heaven-Grade Cultivation Technique.
It was named "Innate Cultivation Technique" and originated from the now-annihilated Innate Sect.
This Cultivation Technique was easy to understand, and its Cultivation method was extremely simple—one only needed to sit in meditation and regulate breath in the early morning.
The only two drawbacks were: although the Cultivator would be Innate in the future, their combat ability would be far inferior to those of the same rank; and the Cultivation speed would be extremely slow.
However, Yun Fei did not care.
No matter how weak, the Innate Realm was still far superior to the first-rate.
As for Cultivation speed, he commanded the resources of the entire Dynasty, so even if it was slow, he could gradually accumulate and build up his strength.
The most crucial point was—he had finally encountered an Innate-Grade Cultivation Technique he could understand, so he naturally had to start Cultivating immediately!
As for the "Ox-Tiger Great Strength Fist" he had learned before, what was that thing?
A full seventy-five movements, complex and difficult to remember, strenuous to learn, he might as well just discard it... A month later.
Yun Fei sat cross-legged on the rooftop, slowly exhaling a long breath, signaling the completion of his "Innate Cultivation Technique" Cultivation for the day.
Currently, his Realm had reached "Half-step Innate."
He lightly raised his hand, struck with his palm, and a two-meter-tall boulder ten meters away instantly shattered, turning into a pile of rubble.
Witnessing this scene, Yun Fei's lips curved slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.
For this Realm, he had consumed a total of ten Vermillion Fruits, ten Small Rejuvenation Pills, and one extremely precious Great Rejuvenation Pill in one go.
To achieve his current Cultivation in just one month was entirely due to the support of these Heaven And Earth Treasures.
As for the additional five Vermillion Fruits, his million-strong army had risked their lives to find them in several dangerous places.
However, the true "Innate" Realm was not easy to enter.
To Breakthrough, one must rely on their own comprehension and Cultivate an Innate Cultivation Technique to the Realm of Perfection to possibly step into the true Innate level.
But the problem was, even if "Innate Cultivation Technique" was considered simple among Innate Secret Manuals, it was far from something ordinary people could easily master.
Even though he had Cultivated for a month, he had only just entered the threshold.
To truly practice it to Perfection, it would be almost impossible without decades of accumulation.
Of course, Yun Fei had another method: take a few more Great Rejuvenation Pills, or swallow dozens of Vermillion Fruits at once, which could also forcefully Break through the Bottleneck and enter the Innate Realm.
Unfortunately, both of these Heaven And Earth Treasures were extremely rare in the entire Martial Forest.
Especially the Great Rejuvenation Pill, which was originally a secret Spirit Medicine of Shaolin Temple. Now, with the demise of Shaolin Temple, it was considered extinct.
As for Vermillion Fruits, although there was still a glimmer of hope, finding them was by no means easy.
One must know that during this period, under the strong hand of the Grand Marshal, almost all Wuxia Schools within the Da Fei Dynasty had been swept away, and the rebels had been largely cleared out.
The resources he currently possessed had almost plundered all the rare medicinal ingredients within the entire Dynasty.
If he still wanted to acquire more Heaven And Earth Treasures like Vermillion Fruits to enhance his strength, there was only one path left—mobilize troops and conquer other countries.
Yun Fei once found a world map in the national treasury.
According to the map, besides the Da Fei Dynasty, there were seven other Dynasties in the world, each governing itself with vast territories.
From an overall strength perspective, the Great Wu Dynasty ranked third among all countries.
However, this was merely information presented on the map; Yun Fei was not entirely sure of the actual situation.
While contemplating these thoughts,
Yun Fei stood up and immediately ordered the surrounding death warriors to relay the command to announce the morning court session.
After all, with the imminent military expedition to other countries, he couldn't always issue commands casually from here; he had to formally sit on the Dragon Throne and exercise the Emperor's authority.
Of course, a more important reason was that he had been Emperor for so long and had never attended a morning court session.
He still wanted to experience what it felt like to be an Emperor!